Gov’t holds talks for hotel developments on Beef Island, Norman Island
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has indicated that significant hotel developments may be on the horizon for the Virgin Islands.
At a press conference on September 16, he hinted at potential projects on Tortola and the outer islands. He noted that the board members of the state-owned Prospect Reef Hotel are making substantial progress and that an expression of interest for the property will soon be issued.
“We are also in discussions with the owners of Beef Island, who are interested in a major hotel development there,” Dr. Wheatley stated. “Additionally, we’re in talks with the owner of Norman Island, as well as several other investors.”
His comments followed inquiries about hotel developments in light of regional airline Winair’s discussions about direct flights to Virgin Gorda.
During a recent interview with JTV, Winair CEO Hans van de Velde revealed the airline’s 63-year history and its current routes to Tortola, the largest island in the BVI. Following discussions with local authorities, Winair is considering a direct route to Virgin Gorda.
Van de Velde also met with Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer to discuss enhancing air travel options and improving regional and international connectivity. This proposed expansion is expected to boost tourism, facilitate business travel, and enhance convenience for residents and visitors.
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Pressure! You have to pressure these jokers to get them to do anything.
– The roads are terrible (even the new patch in Brandywine bay is starting to decay already)
– People are dying when they go to our clinics
– Kids get dumber in school every day
– Our government is as corrupt as it gets
– Nothing is done about waste management (scrubber anyone?)
– Crime rates are through the roof
Here Natalio, made a little to do list for you. Everything in this territory, and literally everything got worse under your administration. Can you step down or actually focus on what is important now.
so because for that a hotel can’t built ?
Indeed.
First we need to focus our recourses on the essentials. Only then we can start thinking of expansion.
There will be no hotel built on Beef Island or residential million dollar homes that can never be bought by locals. He wish to start that development over again that would sell out our land and kill our fishing industry!
Please purchase the Hans Creek area and turn it into a national park. Please create low-impact touristic opportunities (e.g. boardwalk, nature hides) so that this treasured resource can be enjoyed by both locals and visitors. 100% do not build a resort on it. We are guardians of these special islands, and once these virgin sites are developed they will be lost. The infrastructure of the BVI cannot stand largescale development at this time. We have third-world roads, third world healthcare. Our towns and villages run with sewerage and polluted water each time there is a heavy rain storm. The BVI tourism opportunity is for high-end, low-scale tourism. We want high net worth travellers who appreciate the privacy and exclusivity of these islands. This is no place for an all-inclusive Sandals resort. It is because BVI is undeveloped that people want to come here.
Similarly Norman Island is perfect as it is. By building a resort(s) on it you will destroy the very thing which makes it successful. Mr Jarecki is rich enough, he does not need to develop this. If he is a true philanthropist he would donate it to the people as a national park.
Im sure i remember reading when Norman was sold to Mr Jarecki that it was intended as a nature park. However all ive seen is development
Watching to see how beef Island plays out.
A past NDP government was voted out while pushing for that development.
It is evident that these VOi are on the brink of collapse. Soon to be another sandy turd in the Caribbean chain and well equipped with a population of transplanted Caricom waste to suit. The second and additional prisons,a necessity as a result is the only Hotel we need and will be built. Possibly. A “built by the UK” facility. Stop the foolery.We don’t even have a viable education system in place..an impossibility frankly,the students are the toting gun kind with a 1 parent household to match. GET A GRIP..this boat has sunk.
Stop the bs an creating Bancy stories.pretbd stories…TheVCI dkne..Look East West North South bvi done!
People around here don’t care about nature. BVIslanders hate nature. They just prefer concrete, shops and money. Not all, but these are the things that most BVI people value.
We have no sense of how lucky we are to be stewards of this beautiful group of islands, with all the natural wonders that people from around the world want to come and experience.
Because ‘those people’ love it, our response is to hate it. This makes us feel rebellious, independent-minded and in control of our destiny.
Why? Because we have a culture that was once ripped from its own indigenous African lands, from old cultures that put nature in the centre of everything. The same culture was physically/psychologically abused for generations, and forcibly reprogrammed to believe in a very insecure, single, white, male god in the sky that watches over us but still causes misery and grief everywhere. Over centuries the result is a people who mostly want money, bibles and trinkets. Money to buy things that make life ‘easy’, bibles to look ‘good’ and trinkets to show off social status among other people of a similar mindset.
Meanwhile, anyone who knows or cares or studies or shows ANY respect for nature in the BVI is cut down as being ‘against development’, ‘wanting us all to starve while we live in a bird colony’, racism, or being ‘unrealistic’.
When will BVI politicians and people wake up and do SOMETHING good for the planet and for us? This 1970s more-development-is-better mindset is backward and is just destroying our islands one by one.
usually avoid any development in the BVI for a variety of reasons but primarily because other holiday locations are more attractive and profitable in the long run.
Pure talk no action
WASN’T FAKE NOEL LLOYD ONE WHO MARC HED AGAINST MR HUNG AND HIS HOTEL?
Who is going to work in these hotels ? Belongers?
Substantial progress on Prospect Reef? What does that mean?
You keep Anegada of your lips but we know what you plan on doing!
Norman is a private island. If the owner want to do a hotel all he has to do is submit his plans for approval and build. Why does Government need to be involved? He choose his architect and contractor (which will all be foreigners) and do his thing.
Large scale developments that affect the ecological and environmental landscape must have stringent environmental regulations and controls in place with adequate enforcements.
This is the first step before any rights are granted to developers seeking permissions to build. Subsequently, the planning laws/regulations need to be updated to reflect the current global environmental impact conditions and set aside a percentage of the capital investment in an escrow account for socio-economic developments for the country. While developers extract very available opportunity to then, the wider communities lack investment that benefits all. Libraries, bus shelters, and other public services should benefit in the immediate areas of said developments.
As the world changes so too must the BVI’s to ensure sustainability and prosperity of our environment and the future of generations to come.
Sadly, our current elected reps. do not have a clue as to what is needed and just fumble along waiting on the next election cycle.
Jarecki been saying he building a luxe eco resort on Norman since he was 55
The people who want good roads, top paying jobs, helipads, big hospitals, better schools do not want development. You have to be a big dummy to want to be a leader of this small minded place. My God!
“He noted that the board members of the state-owned Prospect Reef Hotel are making substantial progress and that an expression of interest for the property will soon be issued.”
What exactly are you doing about the state-owned Prospect Reef Hotel?
It is no longer a hotel but is definitely run by this government.
Arguably, an example of the BVIs finest effort at showing the rest of the world how to take over and manage a resort.
Im sorry but judging by action the premier has fallen from his previous level of activist right into the bald head wana-be crowd of old. We do not need new monuments, we do not need new concrete attractions. We do not need the streets paved with gold or the debt that comes with it. With access to unlimited loans the place would be a concrete jungle not paradise.
We do not need to spend a million on parties. how can you cry COI and still do that nonsense.
All we need is to take care of what we have.
Fix the Roads…….Fix the blasted Roads for His Name Sake…..gosh none Ayo getting my vote next election. Sick ah ayo. Big Stupes
Expressions of interest in Prospect should have been done 6 years ago! It is such a minor step but yet it still hasn’t been done and this guy is now still talking about it will be done in the future! Pure hot air. Talks have been going on with the Hungs and Beef Island for 15 years now. Norman island development is not new and just another phase of Jarecki plan from years ago. It is amazing how this Natalio man thinks he can fluff his way through, like there aren’t some of us who actually know better that the stuff he allowed out his mouth. Even the bragging about WinAir like it is a big deal! Windsor is not any major operator that will change the game or improve air routes to the VI. At best they will help to put back a few routes that we already had in the past. Not leapfrog us into the future in any meaningful way. Yet they hear yelling from the mountain top like this govt is doing anything monumental. Pshhhhhh
Does anyone here believe that any one of our elected representatives is capable of negotiating a deal that favours the people (all a we) of the BVI?
The more the people cry and point out to the Premier the needs of the Territory, the more he ignores and talk what he thinks makes him looks good. It is time we petition and call for the dissolution of Council. Don’t even allow for this M***oo’s name to appear on the ballots. This one gives new meaning to being the youngest most educated and st***dest jackals to begin a leader.
Here we go again. Lids about to be taken off 3 cookie jars.
Beef Island need developing. We don’t need Hotels we have enough..Turn it into an agriculture / Meat / Cultivation Hub. Plenty Cows, Goats, Pigs, these are high demand products all over the world, time for us to produce and export A
Dock is already up there rehabilitate it and use it for Cargo export. Well are already up there, Put an Abattoir up there, we can also add a medicine Marijuana plant up there, put the
necessary security in interms of humans
and fencing..
Buy the Hung estate and make it our crown jewel national park!
Colonialist resorts for rich outsiders are not the solutions to BVI health, wealth and happiness. Those people don’t care about us. They don’t want to encounter us. In the dream you’re selling them, we do not feature, or we are an inconvenience. The employees will mostly be from other Caribbean islands or Philippinos. Only people benefiting will be the same contractors as always and some of them are not local anyway.
And what do we get?
We get to watch yet another small corner of wilderness disappear and become the private possession of outside investors only interested in ROI. It is still, thank god, just a place where nature does its thing without us, a place dominated not by bank loans, visitor numbers or by human manipulation.
These places keep the whole planet system working – the oceans, the oxygen we need to breath, the diversity of life that is connected to everything else.
If you think that is worth nothing, or a concrete fantasy is worth more, you need to get your head examined.
Why dont the leaders think like “National Parks. Why cant they?